Hello, DataViz NY! We're sad that we've just been forced to cancel our 1/21 event because of Winter Storm Janus, but we've got an exciting surprise waiting, just around the bend. Two very exciting speakers from the upcoming Visualized 2014 Conference have agreed to drop in and spend the evening with us while they're visiting New York from overseas! And internet powerhouse About.com will be hosting us in their cool offices near Times Square. 'Tis not to be missed...

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Cedric Kiefer is a founder of onformative, a Berlin-based studio specializing in generative design solutions. He teaches generative design and Processing at HAWK Hildesheim, FH Wiesbaden & FH Mainz. He also writes for Weave Magazine.

The bookGenerative Design (co-authored by Cedric's partner at onformative, Julia Laub) explains that"Generative design is a revolutionary new method of creating artwork, models, and animations from sets of rules, or algorithms. By using accessible programming languages such as Processing, artists and designers are producing extravagant, crystalline structures that can form the basis of anything from patterned textiles and typography to lighting, scientific diagrams, sculptures, films, and even fantastical buildings." Fascinating examples of such work can be found on onformative's website.

onformative describes itself thus:"At the intersection of technology, design and emotion, we develop innovative, cross-media solutions for our customers in the domains of culture, economics and education."

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Moritz Stefanerworks as a “truth and beauty operator” on the crossroads of data visualization, information aesthetics and user interface design. With a background in Cognitive Science (B.Sc. with distinction, University of Osnabrueck) and Interface Design (M.A., University of Applied Sciences Potsdam), his work beautifully balances analytical and aesthetic aspects in mapping abstract and complex phenomena. He is especially interested in the visualization of large–scale human activity.

In the past, he has helped clients like the OECD, the World Economic Forum, Skype, dpa, FIFA, and Max Planck Research Society to find insights and beauty in large data sets. He was nominated for the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany and is a multiple winner of the Kantar Information is Beautiful awards. His work has been exhibited, among others, at Future Everything, SIGGRAPH, and ars electronica. He is part of the advisory board for the Places and Spaces Exhibit, and has been serving as a juror for the Malofiej award for information graphics, as reviewing expert for the Future and Emerging Technologies programme of the European Commission as well as advisor for the Digital Communities category of prix ars electronica. He has co-authored books for publishers like O’Reilly and Springer and has spoken and lectured on numerous occasions on the topic of information visualization.

As usual, we'll start refreshments at 6:30pm with time to network, catch up and meet new people with interests in data visualization. The formal presentations will begin around 7:00pm and there will be time for Q&A afterwards. So please join us for these excellent presentations, the best DataViz networking in New York, and some light refreshments.

Please note: only those with confirmed RSVP's will be able to attend, because of security requirements at the space that generously hosts & sponsors us. Reservations will close at 10:00am, the Monday before the event. If you aren't able to get a slot by then, we're very sorry, but you won't be able to enter the building. For this reason, we've expanded the number of RSVP's we accept, to account for no-shows and to make sure we fill as many of our seats as possible. But, please cancel as early as possible to make room for other attendees. Thanks for understanding, and see you there!

Both speakers presented inspired data visualizations that are redefining the interfaces through which we absorb data. It was especially informative to have a view into the process and exploration behind the final products. I left with tons of ideas for improving my own projects, large and small. The crowd for this meet up is always great as well. I'm consistently impressed by the people I meet during the breaks. Thanks for another excellent meetup.

We have to close the RSVP system to prepare a final attendee list for the spaces that generously host our events. If you were not able to get a confirmed RSVP, then we are very sorry, but you will not be able to enter the building.

Data Visualization New York is the largest offline community of data visualization professionals in the world. We gather designers, statisticians, analysts, programmers, mathematicians, data architects, start-up execs, content specialists, and all kinds of other amazing people from across the industry. We explore the full range of possibilities for how to convert raw data into visible, shareable insights.